Chapter 29

Chapter

Twenty-Nine

Vyk

“ A nother round?”

The human captain braced his hands on his knees as he bent over and sucked in breath. “What do you call this again?”

I inhaled the familiar scent of sweat that permeated the massive room in the School of Battle. Even when the cadets were not in session, the dark mats and enormous apparatus held remnants of their toil and struggle. “The gauntlet. It is a favorite of mine.”

He tipped his head up and nodded, sweat trickling down the side of his red face. “I can see why. It’s…fu n.”

I slapped his bare back, which was slick with sweat, and appraised the obstacles that made up the course. “I thought you might enjoy seeing how Drexians relax.”

The captain straightened and managed a tight smile. “I had no idea the tour would be so thorough.”

I put a hand to my own bare chest. “Apologies if I was too enthusiastic. I thought you wanted to see how the human cadets are being trained.”

“I do.” He rested a hand on his side, flinching a bit. “How often do cadets do this gauntlet?”

“If they are Blades, they do it regularly. If they are in the other schools and it is not the first term, they will only do it occasionally. Any cadet may use it recreationally, of course, just as may any member of staff.”

He nodded, his expression telling me that he did not consider this recreational.

“If you wish, I can also let you try our climbing walls, although ours do not use ropes to keep you from falling.”

“You climb walls without ropes?”

“Knowing that you cannot fall makes the course less challenging and the cadets less alert.”

He blinked at me for a few beats before giving his head a shake. “I do not need to experience all elements of the cadet experience.”

“No?” I twitched one shoulder, as if this surprised me. “Does that mean you do not want to try out the caged sparring rings? ”

He shook his head so quickly and firmly that some sweat flicked off his face and onto me. “I think I should probably meet with the Academy Master.”

Guilt twinged at me. I had been so determined to keep him busy and away from Fiona that I had forgotten that the man was at the academy for a legitimate reason. How long had I been dragging him through the school, and how long had we been running the gauntlet?

I had not been lying that I went through the gauntlet as a way to relieve stress and burn off energy, but I also knew very well that the human had not been prepared for it. Not only had he just arrived on Drex, but he had also endured a journey across the galaxy that included multiple jumps, which left some feeling ill. If he had not felt bad before my tour, he did now.

My behavior was not rational, and even as I stood next to him with my chest bare, I had little to defend myself except that I had been compelled to challenge the man. It had not been my initial plan to make him show his mettle on the gauntlet, but I would not deny that I had enjoyed every time he fell from one of the swinging platforms or rotating rings. It had been a long time since I had gotten as much pleasure from anything as I had when he had face planted on the warped wall before sliding down it.

I stifled a grin. This was not the behavior of an honorable Drexian. I knew this, but I also knew that I did not like this human, and I did not like whatever relationship he had with Fiona. It might have been petty for me to put him through physical tests I knew I would win, but I would deal with any retribution for my competitive nature later .

I eyed the human, realizing that I had pushed him to his limits and made my point. If he had any doubt that I could defeat him in any physical battle, despite being twice his age, I had put that question soundly to rest. Fiona did not have to know. He knew. I knew. That was enough.

“Please accept my sincere apologies for taking up so much of your time.” I turned toward the ladder leading down to the floor. “Come. I will take you to Admiral Zoran.”

The captain released an audible sigh as he followed me down the ladder and toward the pile of shirts and shoes we’d left by the door.

I snagged a pair of towels hanging on a row of pegs next to the entrance and tossed one to the captain. “So you do not go to the Admiral covered in sweat.”

He made a grumbling sound as he swiped the towel over his face and then his chest and back, although it would take more than a cursory wipe to make him look as neat and presentable as he had when he’d arrived.

The door slid open, and we both stepped back as a Drexian entered. It was not a Blade coming to work out or get in extra practice. It was Tivek, the admiral’s adjunct, and it was clear from his narrowed gaze that he had found the object of his search.

“Captain Gorman.” He gave the human a salute with his fist thumping across his chest. “I heard you arrived and have been looking for you.”

I ignored the pointed look he shot me.

“Admiral Zoran was hoping to give you a proper welcome. ”

“It’s my fault,” Gorman said before I could explain. “I should have found the Academy Master when I arrived, but I went to see an old friend instead.”

Tivek again looked at me, startled that I might be this old friend.

“Captain Douglas,” the man said. “Fiona and I served on the same base together before she came to the Academy.”

Tivek shifted his gaze to me and barely lifted one brow, but his question was obvious. How had he ended up with me, half undressed, on the other side of the school?

“I offered to show the captain around the academy. I thought he could benefit from a tour of the schools and an understanding of the security protocols that are ensuring the safety of the human cadets.”

Tivek’s gaze remained on me. I had not explained why that would bring us both to the gauntlet and why I would run a guest through the arduous obstacle course, especially a human one.

“I also thought the captain might be interested in some of the unique features of the academy, like the gauntlet.”

By this point, the captain was hurrying to dress and was not adding anything to my weak explanations. Maybe because he knew as well as anyone that I did not have to make him run the gauntlet. Although I had not forced him. I might have challenged him to a friendly competition, but I had not held a Drexian blade to his throat like I might have if he had agreed to go into the sparring ring with me.

Tivek’s brow furrowed, and he finally turned his attention from me and focused fully on the human. “Why don’t I show you to your quarters so you can rest before meeting the admiral?”

“Thank you.” The captain followed Tivek without another glance back at me, moving swiftly as if he wished to put as much distance between us as possible.

I feared that I might have to answer for my actions later with Zoran. I thought about the human’s face smacking the wall again and grinned to myself. For once, I had no regrets.